Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a "wonderful" husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical - most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver. Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent - and on a quest of her own....

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Publisher's Summary

An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a "wonderful" husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical - most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent - and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie - and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

I laughed out loud a few times, listening to this sympathetic rendering of a male college genetics professor somewhere on the Asperger's continuum helping a less controlled and controlling woman find out who among numerous doctors might be her biological father. Doesn't sound like a funny plot, but it manages to poke gentle (and sympathetic) fun at both the professor and those who follow "standard social protocols." The narration is spot-on.

I fell in love with this story in the first 30 minutes, stayed up late listening, and grabbed every free minute until I finished it.

The book mentions the movie "As Good As It Gets," which is the quickest way to provide an idea of its premise; however, I enjoyed it so much more than 'As Good.' A scientific professor, Don Tillman, doesn't recognize Asperger's syndrome in himself, even though he can see it in others. He just knows that he doesn't fit in. The book's main characters are all flawed, but likable, in this humorous, touching story of a man who bravely challenges himself to find happiness. His journey to self-awareness took me on a fun, poignant journey of my own.

I didn't notice the narrator until he attempted an American accent (the story takes place in Australia), but it did not bother me - somehow it only added to the charm of the story.

I will be listening to this one again - and looking for more Simsion titles.

Take an autistic genetics professor using a questionnaire to find the most suitable wife, add a beautiful, relationship-shy young woman who meets almost none of his requirements for a potential wife, add an Australian accent, and you have so many laugh-out-loud unforgettable moments! This story grabbed me from the start and never let go. You gotta love Professor Don Tillman and his new-found friend, Rosie. You gotta root for them all the way. And along the way, you just gotta have fun! If you need a pick-me-up after too many somber reads, this is the book for you. Not just fluff, it is well thought out and very entertaining. The narrator is a natural. Highly recommended.

If you could sum up The Rosie Project in three words, what would they be?

(so) entertaining(so) interesting(so) insightful (is that a word?)

What did you like best about this story?

I've never found stories featuring characters with Asperger symptoms funny. Someone in my life has the syndrome and life with that person is too difficult to be very funny to me, but The Rose Project's main character is portrayed as working very hard to live a good life and to use his differently wired brain. I recognized the characteristics and was cheered by Don's self-acceptance and his courageous use of his strengths.

What about Dan O'Grady’s performance did you like?

I liked Don O'Grady's matter-of-fact delivery. He has a good story to deliver and he does the job, sounding interesting the whole way through.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole story moves me.

Any additional comments?

I'll seek out more books by this author and more narration by Don O'Grady. That says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book.

Don Tilman is a brilliant genetecist with minimal social skills embarking on multiple quests. Took me about an hour and a half to get into the groove with this one, but delighted I stuck with it.

As a man with undiagnosed Asperger's, Don begins to stray from his rituals and routines upon meeting Rosie, embarking on a project to locate her biological father. This task however is secondary to his initial venture of creating a logical data base through carefully constructed criteria to locate the ideal wife.

This book is deadpan funny, interesting, unpredictable, and never cruel or exploitative of Don's personality trait. Well done and wonderful read.

After so much chick lit, The Rosie Project took me by surprise. It's not chick lit. It reminded me of the Adrian Mole diaries, by Sue Townsend in the 80's and 90's, and is in that much rarer and much more traditional genre - the comic novel.

The protagonist, Professor Don Tillman, has a flaw, as all great comic protagonists must, that has prevented him ever getting a second date with a woman. So he embarks on "The Wife Project" to find a compatible woman and instead meets Rosie, a completely incompatible barmaid/Ph.D candidate, on a quest to find the identity of her father.

I laughed and winced and rooted for Don as he fell under Rosie's spell, against his own better judgment (which he analyzes in agonizing detail) and the hours flew by.

I can't remember the last five star rating I gave a book. I usually top out at four. But I listened to this book straight through and have to say if it isn't five stars, then I don't know what is.

This was such a sweet read, and I loved it. Don and Rosie from the get go are interesting , funny and lovable. Don, a successful geneticist who falls somewhere on the Aspergers continuum is searching for the perfect partner so he begins the wife project - a questionnaire designed to eliminate unsuitable matches. Is it successful? Of course not. And here we meet Rosie - the wildcard. She never completes the questionnaire and finds it insulting. In fact she only meets him because a fellow colleague recommends Don to assist her in determining her real father. She smokes, she drinks, she has wild red hair, works at a bar, is mathematically illiterate and Don in all his awkward weirdness becomes the man for her and she for him. Don is so sweet and falls hard - this is a quirky, funny love story and I am sad it ended!

Have you listened to any of Dan O'Grady’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I was unsure about this one when I purchased it, as it was one of those recommended by the narrator. It was very good. The detail of Don's ordered life was amazing. I was able to have a greater understanding of someone with Aspergers and how the lack of emotion and almost too logical thought not only can be a difficult challenge in society but is also very enhancing in ways I never considered.

Early on in the story, Don is lecturing to a group of students with Aspergers and their parents. He gives them an example of a situation and only the students were able to come up with solutions, because they lacked the emotion and had a logical approach without the feelings that would have been a barricade to ideas. That anecdote made an impression on me.

I loved his interactions with Rosie, who did not at all fit his idea of a wife candidate and how they both dealt with their differences. Rosie was patient and kind and I loved her character from the beginning. Not all people are so wonderful with those with physical or mental differences. Most of all, I think she taught him to have fun. I don't think he knew what fun actually felt like in his ultra-organized world.

The narration is also very good, as that sometimes is the factor in whether to go audio or print. It was funny in parts, sad in parts, but overall was engaging and a fairly quick "read."

Poor Don Tillman . . . He just can't attract a mate. Sure, on paper he is a catch: intelligent, physically fit, a great cook, an apartment with a balcony and an amazing view, but it just isn't working. Sure, he gets approached, goes out on plenty first dates; it's the second dates that are hard to come by. A smooth operator he is not. He isn't, as they say, a people person. In fact, he is downright awkward, prone to say the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. His problem: he doesn't pick up on social cues, that tacit knowledge of social interaction most of us picked up on when we are children. And while it is true that some of us are better than others at picking up on these social ticks, almost all of us are better at it than our Don.

But at least he knows he has this problem and he is determined to not let that hinder him from achieving his goal and being the scientist that he is he comes up with a plan: the Wife Project.

What follows next is the stuff of romantic comedies. Is it a bit formulaic? Sure. But then again so was "When Harry Met Sally." And that doesn't stop it from being one of my favorite movies. You go in knowing where it is all going to end. The payoff is in the journey not necessarily the destination. And it is as whimsical and fun as just about anything you will read this year.

Excellent story with outstanding narration. Don has Aspergers, is a respected genetics professor at a prestigious Australian university and wants to find a wife. The story is told from Don's point of view and is everything I want in a story including a twist at the end. Social norms and subtle nuances of adult interactions baffle Don and lead to amusing prose. Fun, light read.

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